The effect of oxygen adsorption on ion and photon emission from ion bombarded elemental targets

Bombardment of a surface with an oxygen ion beam or with an inert gas ion beam in an oxygen environment is a common means of enhancing the ion and photon yield from ion bombarded solids. Detailed studies of the effect of a varying oxygen environment have not been reported and in this paper results are presented for the variation of secondary ion and photon emission from polycrystalline Fe and Cr as a function of the oxygen pressure in the target chamber. The effect of oxygen on the ion yields is very complex, but an attempt is made to compare the results with existing models of ion formation. (Auth.)